Henry Gannett
Henry Gannett LL.D | |
|---|---|
 Henry Gannett | |
| Born | August 24, 1846 |
| Died | November 5, 1914 (aged 68) Washington, District of Columbia |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Harvard University Harvard University School of Mining and Practical Geology |
| Occupation(s) | Geographer Topographer |
| Employer | United States Geological Survey |
| Organization(s) | National Geographic Society Cosmos Club American Statistical Association American Association of Geographers Washington Academy of Sciences |
| Known for | Father of Mapmaking in America |
Henry Gannett (August 24, 1846 – November 5, 1914) was an American geographer who is described as the "father of mapmaking in America."[1][2] He was the chief geographer for the U.S. Geological Survey essentially from its founding until 1902.[2]He was also a founding member and president of the National Geographic Society.[1]
Background
He was born in Bath, Maine, son of Hannah Trufant (nee Church) and Michael Farley Gannett.[3][4] He graduated with a B.S. at Harvard University in 1869 and received a M.E. at the Hooper Mining School (aka the Harvard University School of Mining and Practical Geology) in 1870.[4]
From 1870 to 1871, he was an assistant at the Harvard College Observatory.[4]In 1871 he was offered positions with two expeditions: Charles Francis Hall on what would become the ill-fated Polaris Expedition or going with Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden to survey Yellowstone National Park. He chose the Hayden Survey and served as a topographer with western territories surveys from 1872 through 1879.[4][2]
On July 26, 1872, while climbing the then unnamed highest mountain in the Gallatin Mountains, he and his party experienced electric shocks following a lightning event near the summit. He was to name the mountain Electric Peak.
Career
In 1879 he was among those lobbying for centralizing the mapping functions into one government agency. Previously individual mapmakers and agencies had to compete for money from Congress for funds for projects. He lobbied to call the new organization "United States Geological and Geographical Survey" although the name United States Geological Survey would officially be approved. He also assisted in planning the work of the USGS.[2]
His first job in the new organization under its first director Clarence King was geographer of the 10th United States Census, 1880 through 1882[5][4] He laid out 2,000 enumeration districts with such precision that for the first time each census enumerator knew in advance the metes and bounds of his particular district. The completion of this work on July 1, 1882 is considered the start of true topographical work in the United States and the birth of the quad.
In 1882, he was appointed Chief Topographer, then Chief Geographer, for the United States Geological Society (USGS) by John Wesley Powell and would hold the position until 1896.[4] Around 1884, he persuaded various organizations doing the surveys including the railroads to begin using similar datums so the data could interconnect.
As Chief Geographer, he oversaw work on the topographical atlas of the United States.[4] He also served at geographer for the 11th Census in 1890 and the 12th Census in 1900.[4].[2]
In 1890, he and Thomas Corwin Mendenhall of the U.S. National Geodetic Survey campaigned to establish the United States Board on Geographic Names to create official names for locations in the United States.[2] He was subsequently named to the newly created Board on Geographic Names by President Benjamin Harrison in Executive Order No. 28. In 1896, his last year with the USGS, he started the use of the benchmark.
In 1899, he was invited with other elite scientists on the Harriman Alaska Expedition. In 1902, he was appointed the assistant director of the Census of the Philippines.[2] He was also the assistant director of Cuban Census in 1907.[6][2]
In 1909 he was named chairman of a special committee to examine and verify the records of Robert E. Peary in the controversy with Frederick Cook over who was the first to reach the North Pole.
Publications
Gannett's published works are geographical and statistical.[4] He was also a contributor to Encyclopedia Britannica and The New International Encyclopedia.[7] He issued a gazetteer for eleven states.[7]
- The West with R. P. Porter and W. A. Jones (1882)[4]
- Scribner's Statistical Atlas with F.W. Hewes (1883).[4]
- "Dictionary of Altitudes." Bulletin of the United States Geological Survey, No. 70 (1884)
- A Manual of Topographic Methods (1893) the basis for standardizing survey and mapping processes.
- The Building of a Nation (1893)[4]
- Boundaries of the United States and of the Several States and Territories, with a Historical Sketch of the Territorial Changes (1885) first attempt to standardize the history of U.S. boundaries
- The United States (1898)[4]
- Dictionary of Altitudes in the United States, 3rd edition (1899)[4]
- Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States (1902) first compilation of place names for the United States, provided the toponymic origins of over 10,000 places
- A Gazetteer of Porto Rico (1901)
- A Gazetteer of Cuba (1902)[6]
- Gazetteer of Texas1902)[6]
- "The Forests of Oregon" USGS Professional Paper No. 4 (1902)
- "The Forests of Washington" USGS Professional Paper No. 5 (1902)
- A Dictionary of Altitudes in the United States (1906)
Professional affiliations
In 1888 Gannett was one of founding members of the National Geographic Society.[8][2] He served as its first secretary, and later as treasurer, then vice-president, and president, in 1909.[6][2] From 1897 to 1909, he was a vice president of the American Statistical Association.[9][6] In 1904 he was among the founders of the American Association of Geographers. He was also a member of the Washington Academy of Sciences, the Royal Scottish Geographic Society, the Philadelphia Geographic Society, and a founder or charter member of the Cosmos Club.[10][2][11][7][12]
Honors
Gannett received an honorary LL.D from Bowdoin College in 1889.[4][12]
Gannett Peak, the highest peak in Wyoming, was named for him in 1906.[13] In 1911, Lawrence Martin named Mount Gannett, a 10,000-foot peak in the Chugach Mountains of eastern Alaska, for Henry Gannett.[14]
Personal
He married Mary E. Chase on November 24, 1874.[3] They had a son, Farley Gannett who was an engineer for the Water Supply Commission of Pennsylvania.[2][7] Their daughters were May Gannett (Mrs. G. T. Backus) and Alice Gannett.[7][12]
He died at his home in 1840 Biltmore Street, Washington, D.C. on November 5, 1914, after being ill for about a year with Bright's Disease.[1][2][7][12] HIs funeral service was given by Rev. U. G. B. Pierce of All Soul's Unitarian Church.[12]
The day of his funeral, the National Geographic closed and draped the building in mourning.[2]
References
- ^ a b c "Henry Gannett's Funeral Takes Place Tomorrow". Evening Star (Washington, D.C.). November 7, 1914. p. 8. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Henry Gannett is Dead". Harrisburg Daily Independent (Harrisburg, PA). November 6, 1814. p. 4. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Darton, N.H. (January 1917). "Memoir of Henry Gannett". Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 7: 68–70. doi:10.1080/00045601709357056. hdl:2027/inu.30000053670869. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Johnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard (1904). "Henry Gannett". The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans ... Biographical Soceity. p. 70.
- ^ Penry, Jerry (October 27, 2007). "The Father of Government Mapmaking: Henry Gannett". The American Surveyor. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Colby, Frank Moore; Williams, Talcott (1917). "Henry Gannett". The New International Encyclopædia. Dodd, Mead.
- ^ a b c d e f "Great Geographer of Country is Dead pt 2". Harrisburg Telegraph (Harrisburg, PA). November 16, 1914. p. 16. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Census.gov › History › Agency History › Notable Alumni › Henry Gannett". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ^ North, S.D.N. (1915). Henry Gannett, President of the National Geographic Society, 1910-1914. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. hdl:2027/mdp.39015039793479.
- ^ List of members, officers, and committees, corrected to March 16, 1914. Washington, D.C.): Washington Academy of Sciences. 1916. p. 5. hdl:2027/wu.89100016302.
- ^ "Funeral for Henry Gannett". The Washington Times. November 8, 1914. p. 8. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Funeral on Sunday for Henry Gannett". The Washington Times. November 6, 1914. p. 6. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gannett Peak". Britannica. February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
- ^ "Mount Gannett". Alaska Guide. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
External links
- Works by or about Henry Gannett at Internet Archive
- Works by Henry Gannett at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
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